[Poll] How do you think about Mega-Threads in the forum? Do you read them?

I have more and more difficulties to follow overlong threads in the forum.

E.g. I would like to know more about AudioLayer. But it is very difficult for me to read a 27 page thread with over 970 answers. It becomes all the more difficult if the native language is not English like mine...

Many Aps here have their own constantly growing thread. Both experiences and questions of understanding are addressed. Errors and workflows, suggestions for improvement and and and and...

GrooveRider GR is also such a typical example. 122 Pages with 3.700 postings!!!

Korg Electribe Wave 1.300 postings
Stagelight - 798 postings

Honestly, do you read such threads from beginning to end when you are new to the app and you are interested to learn more about this app?

Personally, I would often prefer a few smaller separate threads. Maybe one thread only for improvement suggestions, another for general questions of understanding, tipps and tricks etc.

Can you understand my thoughts about Mega-Threads?

I am very curious how you think about it...😎

Please give your feedback

Do you like App Mega-Threads?58 votes

Yes I like Mega-Threads and I love to read them even when I need hours to read them

&nbsp 6.90%

I prefer smaller and more specific threads like StageLight Tipps and Tricks

Sometimes I think we need an "App FAQ" document created by someone willing to create it. There might be a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) category and that's where you'd look for the "APP FAQ: AudioLayer" document.

Either that or an associated Forum Wiki where documentation could be created using the community editing idea.

I also find old threads that show up because someone tagged a comment on the end. Especially when the thread Title seems newsworthy "Animoog on sale for $5" or "App gets AUv3" and you've been using it for 6 months... so there's no sale or nothing new to buy.

Having said this: Threads are great for conversations. Learning to select which to read and how to scan for the best info is a skill. I've leaned to start with the last comment and roll up to see which were added today to help get the news and determine the context for the latest comments. Sometimes when it's a hot story you just need to plow through and get all the details. That's pretty rare but it happens with a hot new release or update.

I agree that I am put off reading if a thread becomes too long, even if I might be interested. Of course sometimes that’s a chicken and scenario - I don’t know if I will be interested if I haven’t read anything about it!

I ignore most threads that aren’t directly about something I have or can contribute to, but long threads are definitely ignored, if I haven’t had any contribution to them yet. In fact, even if I have, I’ll just mark it all read anyway.

Anecdotally, I totally missed the Stagelight thread and excitement initially because it was just a single thread and so long I couldn't spare the time to read it before the other day...but it turns out I am actually really interested in that app and its potential for multi-platform music creation. Too bad I missed the sales on Black Friday because I was too slow on the draw.

Sure, I would like to see more threads on specific topics, but sometimes conversation doesn't flow that way, and sometimes people are chastised for starting threads that are already in discussion elsewhere, so it might be tough to change that dynamic if it doesn't have the support of the site admins. Really, they get to make the house rules.

@McDtracy said:
Sometimes I think we need an "App FAQ" document created by someone willing to create it. There might be a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) category and that's where you'd look for the "APP FAQ: AudioLayer" document.

I love this idea and would be more than willing to assist with content...or maybe even try to create something like it. Thoughts on where something like this should exist? Is there an existing framework that suits the concept, or would it be better as an independent site?

@McDtracy said:
Sometimes I think we need an "App FAQ" document created by someone willing to create it. There might be a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) category and that's where you'd look for the "APP FAQ: AudioLayer" document.

I love this idea and would be more than willing to assist with content...or maybe even try to create something like it. Thoughts on where something like this should exist? Is there an existing framework that suits the concept, or would it be better as an independent site?

There's a General App Discussion category already. Naming a thread an "FAQ: 'App Name' Version x' should do it.

I'll bet most us just read the All Categories and see everything posted.

But searching later for "FAQ: StageLight" would make finding it fast and then if it's missing important info add the new details and create a new Version and post it. Just use a Q and A format so someone can find their question to see if it's been covered.

Then folks can say "That's a FAQ for that or you should put that in the FAQ". FAQ on or FAQ off Grasshopper.

I'd be in favor of a wiki that would consolidate the most useful information from various threads, organized by app. It wouldn't need to be fancy, just a short description of the post, and a link to it. That way people could scan for what they need, and then get right to the post in context. I think a wiki would be more useful than forum threads because of the ability to create some structure, and tables of contents, etc.

I'd prefer of a non-moderated (or rather crowd-moderated) format, but with some agreed guidelines as to what should be posted and how.

the threads are for apps made mostly by smaller developers, they often involve the developers themselves like the polyphase thread and while the threads themselves evolve so does the app being developed because many of the devs draw from the ideas within the threads...

personally I like the distinction between the public threads and a developers thread, and I feel like things like faqs should be stuff the developer does themselves because I'm always most interested in the dev themselves educating us on what the app is and is not, where it's going and so forth... when someone other than the dev takes on this responsibility there is no telling how accurate the result will be and more than lengthy threads I dislike misinformation.

I don't really know what the answer is but regarding the apps I'm interested in I read every word I can find on the forum about it.

My advice is just post in the longer thread with your query. Give it a 'tl;dr, but I would like to know ____________' . Most people here are pretty understanding and obliging, even if the topic has already been thoroughly addressed.. Others can relate to not wanting to read 27 pages to get specific information.

Otherwise, if you're just talking wanting to know about non-specific things, what better than browsing 27 pages?

There are some threads like Auria tips & tricks, that have invaluable information and grows more valuable as the app updates. There are mainly brilliant tips without unnecessary posts that make it unreadable. Great content and brevity is what made this forum so important in the first place. But,,,, I have no idea how to fix the loquaciousness of our typical thread nowadays.

@NoiseHorse said:
There are some threads like Auria tips & tricks, that have invaluable information and grows more valuable as the app updates. There are mainly brilliant tips without unnecessary posts that make it unreadable. Great content and brevity is what made this forum so important in the first place. But,,,, I have no idea how to fix the loquaciousness of our typical thread nowadays.

Just use a lot of big words like “loquaciousness”. That’ll keep us dum hicks from shootin’ our yaps off.

@NoiseHorse said:
There are some threads like Auria tips & tricks, that have invaluable information and grows more valuable as the app updates. There are mainly brilliant tips without unnecessary posts that make it unreadable. Great content and brevity is what made this forum so important in the first place. But,,,, I have no idea how to fix the loquaciousness of our typical thread nowadays.

I don't see that as a problem. Unlike most forums where it can be a sterile, slightly hostile Q&A environment, you can have a friendly chat here and shoot the breeze a bit. These days everything is so sound-bitey and instant. No-one has time for a natter, attention spans are now down to seconds. So it's nice to have both - the information rich, helpful threads, and the meandering chatty ones. I even enjoy reading the ones that are full of bickering, as long as I'm not involved in it.

For some this forum is a resource. For others, it's a community as well.

All I can say is good luck trying to organize, much less enforce any structure without full time moderators (which would be a terrible idea). Personally I don’t mind it like this, but even if I did, I would be skeptical that anyone could successfully change it.

When I see a block of text with great info I just cut it out and paste it into my own note App on an IOS Music page. I could just as well paste it into a thread called "Tips" that we all maintain. Then you open that thread and look for App related advice using the "Find" button in the browser.

You know the quality stuff when you read it thinking this could come in handy later.

@NoiseHorse said:
There are some threads like Auria tips & tricks, that have invaluable information and grows more valuable as the app updates. There are mainly brilliant tips without unnecessary posts that make it unreadable. Great content and brevity is what made this forum so important in the first place. But,,,, I have no idea how to fix the loquaciousness of our typical thread nowadays.

I don't see that as a problem. Unlike most forums where it can be a sterile, slightly hostile Q&A environment, you can have a friendly chat here and shoot the breeze a bit. These days everything is so sound-bitey and instant. No-one has time for a natter, attention spans are now down to seconds. So it's nice to have both - the information rich, helpful threads, and the meandering chatty ones. I even enjoy reading the ones that are full of bickering, as long as I'm not involved in it.

For some this forum is a resource. For others, it's a community as well.

Would hate to see the chat side disappear from here. Mostly when I need help, I ask. Once asked, somebody usually helps me out within at most a couple of days and then I change the thread to sorted and it dies.

I often encourage people to chat on my threads. It all circles back to being music related most of the time.

Chatty threads also can have some disagreement, but I want to see other people’s opinions - if I didn’t, I would not bother coming here. I’ve learnt an awful lot from people here - some of whom I wouldn’t give much time to in real life. The community aspect here is the best part of the whole forums.

When the arguments start, I’ve learnt to just back off and take a break - go make some music - there are very few really nasty people here, just passionate music makers of all kinds.

I agree with what others have said and I don’t think forums work well as information centres. Forums work well for sharing of opinion and sometimes the opinions given help, sometimes they just lead to other ways of thinking.

This forum is also my favourite advertising for music apps on the web - I would not even be aware of many apps I love without my visits here